Coming out of the closet

I never mention that I own a Ferrari. Never post it on Facebook, and actually only recently did I post a photo of it on my Instagram, but, other than that, I don't tell anybody. Nobody in my family knows, except my wife, and friends.

But, agreed on the young kids, I've had some children come up wanting to take photos, and it's quite nice, haha. I never bring up what I drive, not because I fear that it makes me seem...stuck up or anything, I just really don't feel a need to bring it up? It's really odd to bring up what you drive. Even when people ask, I tell them I drive a minivan, which, I do as a daily, haha.

Actually, my friends drive a lot of my cars around, since I don't park them at home, nor do I always have time to drive them, so, a fair amount of people think of my Ferrari actually belongs to my friend, and I just play along, haha.

 

I live in a small country town, where bumping into people I know is a given , it's beautiful and has some fantastic almost empty driving roads, except for a few kangaroos!

I have told my kids not to mention either the 550 or the maser to any of their mates, as most are from hard working families, and for me I don't want to rub it in. Occasionally I will meet a fellow car nut, then I will show or even let them take one out for a spin.

Now when I drive to the city where I am anonymous, it feels quite liberating(though the actual driving is well you all know....

 

This is an awesome post. I just bought my first Ferrari (2002 360 Spider) and I still have not told my wife. It will be in a nearby storage facility until she hands me my balls back. I plan on taking it out as often as I can (to and from work). I don't care if my work knows, they would expect it as they know more about me than my own wife!

 

I will finally have a 360 in my garage in around a month or so, can’t wait. Been a dream since I was a kid and I’m now 31. I’ve already picked the car, both the seller and I arent in a rush and we are just working out all the details

I work for an automotive manufacturer so my DD’s are very low key and standard but working where I do, we talk about cars ALOT! So it goes without saying my good work mates know my intentions and that jealously really doesn’t exist, because half of them have special cars or projects of their own. One of them has a classic Australian ford which would be worth twice that of a good 360! Another has a GTR, another a classic Australian Holden, another a Supra etc

 

I kind of brought my 360 to work. The car, myself and Fiancee were out for a pre-drive MOT (road worthiness test) and she wanted to visit her daughter which is local to where I work. I was off work for the day and coming back from her daughter's I popped into the reception car park. I phoned my pal and a few colleagues came out to see the car with him.
The offices above reception noted the car. There have been comments regarding the noise but so far.. I still won't ever commute in it.

 

Funny and I hadn't thought about it that way. I draw the line on married woman!

 

I bought my first Ferrari in the late 70's. Since then I have had many and currently have three. Family and friends know I have them and it has never been a big issue. I dont hide the fact that I have cars from anyone. I dont drive them to work; very short drive and letting a car sit outside all day does not seem to make sense. I dont drive them when I visit clients even though most know what I have cars. There is no reason to create a distraction. I enjoy driving with my wife or just by myself. I wish I had more time to drive. This 'work thing' seems to always get in the way. If you want a Ferrari, can afford and have the time to enjoy it just go for it. Who cars what others think.

 

I think it's age related. I started driving them at age 29, so the attention was fun then. It was in the 80's. I wasn't concerned around my employees as much as I was around my tenants or some business associates. I felt a little uncomfortable displaying success. At this age though, I feel that my employees, bankers and clients appreciate that they're dealing with someone successful. I drive it daily and enjoy taking it everywhere. Drive to the supermarket or to the race track.I consider myself an enthusiast not a curator.

 

I hope this isn't long-winded, but...

I was born in Germany in the early 1970s. My first memory, literally, is of riding in my Dad's 246 on the autobahn. I remember peering over his shoulder (I was crammed behind his seat (he was a short man), my Mom in the other seat.. I was 2 or 3 years old), seeing the speedo hovering around 160 KPH and hearing the noise of that V6 screaming 6 inches behind me. I also remember it in the garage.. I used to be fascinated by the air intakes and would try to stick my arm down them as far as I could to try to figure out what was back there.

Since then, 45 years have passed, but my fascination with Ferrari has never ebbed. For about 15 years now, I have been saying "one of these days"... to myself. Finally, on my 47th birthday, I decided that "one of these days" is something I could say forever. I decided to bite the bullet and start shopping seriously.

Now, I'm an old-time hot-rodder. I used to have my own shop building custom cars and motorcycles. So I appreciate the purely "analog". Given that, I absolutely had to have something with a manual transmission, which narrowed my choices down to the 360 or earlier (yes, there are a handful of 430 gated cars out there, but they're frankly out of my reach). Also, I had to have a coupe. Just my opinion, but when I picture a convertible (all convertibles, not just Ferraris), the driver is a long-haired, California surfer dude with a big happy smile on his face. Whereas, the driver of a coupe is an all-business, leather-jacketed mystery man. I guess I relate more to the second of my imaginary stereotypes.

Also, I had to be realistic about budget. I am not a rich man. Better off than many, certainly, but anything above $150K was just not realistic. So I had to give up on my dream of owning a 246 like my Dad's. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn't really want that car anyhow. Parts availability is terrible. So is reliability, compared to modern cars.

360 it was! About 2 months ago I started getting serious. Joined Ferrarichat, posted a couple wanted ads, and waited impatiently to see what was available. After being told by a couple of dealers (here and elsewhere) that I was being "unrealistic" in wanting a sub-80K gated 360 coupe, I found the car I was looking for... barely under that price, but close enough.

I flew out to see the car, drove it, and fell in love with it. Did some Google-Fu on the VIN, called the seller's references. Pulled the trigger. It's mine. As of this morning it is on a transporter, being delivered.. I should have it this weekend. I'm giddy with excitement; a 45-year dream fulfilled.

As to the "coming out of the closet" problem... I really don't care. All of my really good friends know that this has been a dream for me. All the haters can go pound sand. I'm going to drive the wheels off this thing, do my own maintenance (doesn't scare me a bit), and just go ahead and live life. I did post on Facebook that I was buying the car, and only got one negative response, which was clearly out of jealousy.

I have no kids, almost no debt, and a decent income. Again, not a rich man, but I've played the cards I've been dealt well. So I really don't care what someone driving a $60K pickup thinks about me owning an "expensive" car. As many here have already said, "expensive" is relative.

As a tribute to my Dad, I will be applying his Scuderia Hanseat (German Ferrari club) badge onto the dashboard of my new car, as well as the badge he got for completing a driver's school at the Nurburgring in 1973 He has passed away, but his memory lives on, and I think that he'd be smiling down upon me for this choice.

 

Thanks for sharing your story! Btw, do you know whatever happened to your dad's 246?

 

He sold it in 1976 to a US serviceman stationed in Hamburg. No idea what happened to it after that. It was an unusual color... a very, very pale yellow. I've never seen another Ferrari in this color. Stranger still, Dad bought it off the showroom at Auto Becker. I would have thought that any car with that unusual of a color would have been specially ordered.

 

Well, I just try to enjoy my Ferrari and not worry about what other people might think. Other than my wife and a few good friends I initially stayed "in the closet" about having my 550 Maranello. I live in a mid-size U.S. midwestern city where ostentatious displays of wealth or success (and there are plenty of very wealthy, successful people with very nice cars in this town) are generally not done. So I initially had this impression that owning a Ferrari here might create the wrong impression that I'm "filthy rich" (I'm not). In fact, whenever I drive my 550 I get thumbs up, people at gas stations asking questions and wanting a selfie next my car, and people whipping out their cell phones in traffic to take photos. I've since been a little more open about it, but it's still not something I go out of my way to advertise and I haven't "come out" about it on social media yet. Not sure that I will, either. I don't mind people knowing that I have a Ferrari, and I'm more than happy to have people see it, give rides, etc., but it's not my style to flaunt it. Then again, if you have a Ferrari I guess you are "flaunting it" every time you take out in public.

 

Beautiful story Bob. Thanks for sharing.


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A very interesting topic. Glad to see I wasn’t alone in how I felt when I purchased my first Ferrari a 348ts. I felt grateful and so lucky to have been able to own one. 10 years later at 60 I have a beautiful 360 spider yet no one at work knows about it.
People do most definitely judge you, especially at work, and I am careful who I share it with. Family close friends etc. I’m the sort of guy that still gets a bit embarrassed when you get people pulling up next to you on the road taking pics and telling you what a great car you have.
For me it’s a personal thing, an intimate thing that sometimes I just want to keep to myself and enjoy in all its glory.

 

Bob, it's too bad your dad didn't keep her long enough for you to be the next custodian...

Enjoy your 45-year dream fulfilled 360 in good health!

 

I think it's also related to where you live. I'm in Santa Monica. On our streets, or Beverly Hills, Malibu, Pacific Coast Highway, it's like being at a Pebble Beach car show. I'm just as likely to see Arnold driving his Veyron (I have) as Kanye in a white Italia, on a daily basis. I think that in a smaller city or one that's not necessarily full of high end cars, it would be more uncomfortable.